Journey of Love
by tv-addict007
Summary: Josh's accusations in 4x01 hit Castle hard and he started to believe it himself. Making the decision to leave Beckett's life, he starts a new adventure to get his mind off of Kate. Meanwhile Kate has to adjust to life after the shooting, trying to move on. Is that the end of this thing they had or is it really just the beginning?
1. Chapter 1

**Good morning everyone :)**

**Somehow I got stuck with this idea a while ago and started to write it out. I'm not sure of it but I just thought I'd upload it and wait for your response.**

**I hope you'll enjoy reading it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

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**Chapter 1**

It was one of those darker days in life. A day they had to bid their farewells to one of their beloved friends. Before Richard Castlehe had started to work with the NYPD as a civilian consultant for Detective Beckett and her team, his life hadn't been so full with of hatred, hurt feelings, and danger. It may have been a little shallow, but in the end he had always been safe living in his little bubble with his mother and his daughter.

This bubble had burst as the one and only Detective Katherine Beckett stepped into his life. Her world was full with all those things Castle hadn't concerned himself with until then. But she intrigued him, her whole being was a mystery that had pulled him to her and hadn't let go again. Many people wouldn't have dared to dive into her world, would've stayed in their safe and shallow life, but he couldn't do that. Kate Beckett had showed him the hard reality and he couldn't be happier. Of course, there were moments in which he doubted his decision, but in the end he'd never regret it to being right atby her side solving crimes.

However, in real life there were losses, and. Captain Roy Montgomery was now one of those. He had sacrificed his own life to protect another one, to protect Kate's life. His death was an atonement for his actions from fifteen years ago. It was a hard blow for the twelfth, especially for Beckett. Montgomery had been her mentor, a second father figure, and a good friend. She had not only lost an important person in her life, but she had to find out that he had been involved in her mother's case. That, after all this time, he had those answers she was so desperately searching for.

But Kate Beckett was a tough woman, standing with her head held high in front of everyone holding the eulogy. She learnt to handle the feelings of grief and pain, perfected her mask of the strong woman over the years, and hoped that Montgomery would be proud of her speech. But Castle soon had to realize that the already grey day in their lives wouldill become even darker. This day had officially become the worst day ofin his whole life when someone shot Kate. Shot his _partner_. Right now he found himself in a hospital hall, running after the stretcher on which his partner was lying, slowly bleeding out. Lanie Parish was perched over the detective, triedying her best to keep their friend alive.

"Come on, Kate! Don't you die on me! Stay with me! Stay with me!"Lanie begged as she kept her hands on Kate's wound. There was cominghad been a tirade of different sentences from her since the moment they had stepped into the ambulance, while Castle remained silent. Since the moment Kate had closed her eyes, he'd had the feeling of running a marathon whereand the finish line just wouldnon''t come into sight. How long could a heart manage to beat so fast and hard before one passed out?

He felt completely helpless, ; could do nothing to help his friend. Meanwhile, the medical staff of the hospital was withhad reached them and tried to take it from here onover, but Lanie refused to let go of her best friend.

"This is my friend, do you understand me? She's my friend."persisted Lanie.

"Then let us save her life." The man tried to reason with Lanie.

The internal fight was visible in her eyes. : Sheshe knew what she had to do, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Because, Aas soon as they'd wheeled the stretcher through the doors, all bets were off. Maybe tThis could maybe be the very last time she'd shee her friend breathing. But Castle knew that every second counted if they wanted to have the best chance for Beckett's survival.

"Lanie!"

Lanie seemed to acknowledge Castle's presence for the first time. Her desperate eyes looked directly into his. Without any further words, she stepped off the stretcher and watched as the medical staff took her best friend away from her. Even when he knew that it wouldn't help that much, Castle laid a comforting hand on Lanie's shoulder as tears slowly descended down her face.

The next few hours felt more like days. The hospital hall was now filled with people waiting to hear about Beckett's condition. The first ones to accompany Lanie and Castle in the lonely hall were Ryan and Esposito, who had coordinated the search for the sniper by phone. Then Martha and Alexis entered the hall, soon followed by Jim Beckett.

Castle glanced at his watch. Had it been really just three hours since they wheeled Kate to surgery? It seemed like much longer to him, too long. Nobody was really in the mood for conversation, filling the hall with silence. It really was deadly silent. Suddenly those words had quite another meaning. He shook his head. ; Hhee couldn't think like this. Kate was a strong woman,. Sshe'll would get through this, he was sure of that. She had to. Anything else was just out of question.

He heard a door being hardly softly pushed open and stood automatically from his seat, hoping to finally get finally an update on Kate. Praying that the person wasthey were bringing good news,. Castle was slightly surprised to see that it was Josh Davidson who caome marching through those doors. But Josh was a doctor after all, and had a better chances to get some information about a patient. Maybe he had found out what had happened and wanted to give them an update? HeCastle didn't really care who'd tell them something as long as they'd get to know anything at all.

"A sniper! At a funeral!" Josh yelled at them as he came striding towards rage was understandable, after all Castle felt the same. The only difference was that he brooded silently.

"We think that the people who sent those guys after Montgomery targeted Beckett."

"I tried to get to her. I trytri-"Castle started to explain, but was harshly interrupted as Josh shoved him violently against the wall. Since Castle hadn't expected this, he had a hard time keeping himself from crashing to the floor.

"Hey!" Esposito intervened and pushed Josh aside Josh, away from Castle, while Martha helped her son back into an upright position again. Bewildered, Castle looked at Josh, suddenly at a loss of words for what had just happened.

"You did this!"Josh accused him, causing and Castle's patience to finally run out. A fight with the annoying doctor was just the right thing for him right now, and it was the perfect. A chance to vent rushed towards the doctor, only just to be held up short by Ryan and Alexis at the last moment., while Esposito tried to get more distance between those two men.

"This is your fault!" This That accusation hit him deeper than any strike Josh could've made. Was it his fault that Kate had now to fight for her life? Was it his fault that Jim Beckett may lose his daughter now too?

"_You_ pushed her to look into her mother's murder! She was shot because of _you_ and Montgomery is dead because of _you_!" Josh continued with his accusationsdenunciations, and every single word pierced deep into his heart. Josh was right. All of this happened because he couldn't control his curiosity. It was _his_ fault.

Alexis marched angrily to Josh ready to protect her dad, but was stopped by her grandmother. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Those accusations were wrong. It may have been her dad that made caused Kate to start digging into her mother's murder again, but everything else hadn't been his responsibility. Kate Beckett was a grown up woman and an outstanding detective. If she hadn't wanted all this, if she had wanted to give up, she'd have put her dad into his place and ignored everything, but she didn't. Nobody but the people behind this witch-hunt was were at fault.

"Stop it!" That was the first time Jim had said anything since he'd came come to the hospital. Everyone stared at the man who was possibly was about to lose his last loved one. Now Castle felt even worse. They were creating a useless scene while there were other things to worry about."Stop it, all of you! Just stop it! I won't have you acting like three year olds while my daughter's fighting for her life!"

Josh turned around, not even athe little least bit interested in waiting with them in the hall. Once again the silence spread out again, and Castle slumped back onto his chair, and just barely noticed just barely his mother taking the seat beside him. Josh's words, as hard as they had been, were right. They were the plain truth. Kate _wouldn't_ be in this situation if he would have just stayed away from her mother's case. If he'd beenbe in Josh's position he'd have reacted the same way. He The writer felt his mother's arm around his shoulder, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"He's right, you know. This is my fault. "

"Richard Castle, don't you dare blame yourself. You are not the one who shot her."

"No. But I put her in the crosshairs."

This time Martha opted to stay silent. She had the feeling that no words in the world could help her son at the moment. His demons wouldn't disappear so easily.

"I told her how I felt. I told her I loved her."Castle admitted and Martha squeezed his shoulder comfortingly._You pushed her to look into her mother's murder! She was shot because of you and Montgomery is dead because of you!_If he could turn back the time, heCastle would do itin a heartbeat, but he wasn't able towasn't able to. He couldn't may not change the past, but he can could change the future, and. Right at this that very moment he the writer made a decision. He'd leave Kate's life;. Aall he did was bring chaos into it. She'd be better off without him, and. Hhe won't wouldn't let his presence cause her any more pain.

She deserved a happy life and he hoped very much that she'd get it. Without him in it.

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**Waiting for your opinion...**

**Wish you all a great weekend :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys,**

**I think it's safe to say that you're interested in this story.**

**Thanks for the great response so far. **

**It's time to see what Rick has planned.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

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**Chapter 2**

Darkness. Kate was surrounded by darkness, and she hadn't the slightest idea of where exactly she was. Her memories were blurred, covered by a faint remembrance of being at the funeral of her Captain, but not what had happened after she went up to give the eulogy. An obtrusively beeping sound could be heard, but she couldn't place it yet. She tried to open her eyes to take a look at her surroundings, however, her eyelids seemed heavier than normally.

Slowly, too slowly for her liking, Kate finally opened her eyes. The room she was in was filled with brightness, and she was forced to close them almost immediately, since it was too much after the darkness she had just been in. After a few seconds she tried again, this time prepared for the onslaught as she got used to the light. Apparently she was in a hospital, with various machines connected to her body, and the irritating sound came from the device monitoring her heartbeat. How did she end up here?

Kate glanced around. It was a normal hospital room, a single, with a chair standing beside her bed and a coffee sitting next to it on the ground. Someone must have been sitting there not too long ago. Also, she took notice of the numerous flower bouquets surrounding her as she asked herself how long she might have been unconscious.

"Kate."

She looked towards the door and saw Josh. He smiled at seeing her awake and she smiled back at him, however, it didn't really reach her eyes. She felt bad that she'd have preferred Castle coming through that door instead of her boyfriend. Kate shook off those feelings; now was not the time for them.

"How are you feeling?" Josh asked softly and sat down on chair beside her bed. He took her hand in his and caressed it gently like he was afraid it would break if he gripped too hard.

"I feel tired and a little bit confused. What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"My memories are a little blurred."

"You were shot. At the funeral."

Shot? Kate tried to remember what happened. She remembered giving the eulogy. The last clear memory was of Castle yelling something to her, then everything after that was just foggy.

Kate, please!

_Stay with me, Kate._

_Don't leave me, please._

_Stay with me, okay?_

_Kate, I love you._

_I love you, Kate._

"Was anyone else injured?" she asked, unable to put the fragments of her memory in the right order. Since she didn't feel well right now, Kate postponed the analysis of them for a later time.

"No. You're the only one."

"How long was I out?"

"Two days. I was worried."

"Do you know if the sniper was apprehended yet?" She had been unconscious for two days; that was two days too long. She had a lot to catch up on.

"I'm sorry, Kate, I don't know anything about the case. But I'll inform Detectives Ryan and Esposito that you're awake." Josh got up and kissed her head. "I'll get your doctor so that he can check you out."

Before Josh could leave the room she stopped him. "Josh."

"Yeah?" he turned around, looking questioningly at her.

"Could you call Castle, please?"

Something flashed through his eyes but it was too quick for her to tell exactly what it was. His answer came with a few second delay, and he looked decidedly uncomfortable. Maybe she shouldn't have asked him, but she wanted to see her partner. "Of course". Then he disappeared from her field of vision.

* * *

"Dad, I'll only be there for two and a half months not two and a half years!"

"I just want to be sure that you have everything you need," answered Castle. He followed her to the kitchen, oblivious that his cell was lying on the table and humming with an incoming call.

Alexis rolled her eyes, because her father was sometimes just like a little kid. No, not sometimes; always. Sometimes more, sometimes less. She had just packed her bags for her temporary stay in Paris, and her dad seemed to believe that it wasn't enough.

"I'm not moving to Paris. If I forgot something I'll just buy it there."

"You want to buy new clothes daily?"

"It Paris, Dad, not a jungle. I'm pretty sure that there will be some laundry facilities."

"But you won't have time to do laundry while you're working."

"I won't work all the time."

"True. But you're going to spend most of your free time with your amazing dad, sightseeing and such," he told her. Castle had decided to accompany his daughter to Paris, but he wouldn't be going home with her after those two and a half months. He wouldn't accompany Alexis straight away either, since he had to take care of some things beforehand, mostly concerning Gina and Black Pawn. She'd probably be anything but happy about his plans.

He planned to enjoy those two and a half months with his daughter in Paris and, while she'd take a flight back home, he'd be on his way to the real trip he had planned. Castle planned to walk the Way of St. James, and it would be a new challenge for him. Something new and he could hardly wait for it. His family wasn't so happy about it though, since he'd be walking alone. That meant five hundred miles packed with loneliness, hard weather conditions, and high physical performance. It was a trip into the unknown.

Since the moment he started to plan this trip, he'd gone to the gym regularly, and he would continue his training in Paris. After all, his daughter would be working most of the days so he would have a lot of time to work on his fitness.

Another thing his family, and especially Gina, was going to hate was that he'd be gone for several weeks: weeks in which he would neither write a single word nor be reachable to anyone. Though Castle would have his cell with him, he wouldn't have reception most of the time while walking to the destinations each day.

He was fine with that; the writer wouldn't have to go to meetings with Gina, and he could sort through his thoughts. Maybe he could come up with things to do after this trip. One thing was for sure, however, his life at the Twelfth Precinct was over. A new stage of life would begin now.

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**Originally I planned that Castle would travel through Europe but then I remembered that it was revealed in one episode that he pretty much has been in a lot of countries already. At that moment I was reading a book about the Way of St. James and thought that this could exactly be the kind of adventure he'd want to take part in.**

**Tell me what you think.**

**Enjoy your day.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys,**

**I finally passed all my exams, which means I have time to write again.**

**Though I want to apologize for the long wait and hope you'll like this update.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

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**Chapter 3**

"Hey, how are you doing?" Kate looked towards the door in surprise, and smiled when she saw Ryan and Esposito standing there.

"Fine, but I've been better. Any news of the sniper?"

Ryan groaned, pulled out a twenty and gave it to Esposito, who accepted the bill with a wide grin. Amused and slightly confused by their behavior, she observed them as she waited for an explanation.

"Ryan and I had a little bet going on," Javi explained. "I knew that your first question would be about the sniper. Ryan had thought otherwise." That was just one part of their bet. While Espo really thought so, Ryan thought that she'd have asked for her partner first, and right now they wanted to prolong that conversation as long as they could.

"You two are unbelievable,"Kate remarked and shook her head at their antics."So _is_ there any news now?"

"The search is still in progress, but as of now we still have nothing. Sorry." Ryan admitted.

She was slightly disappointed to hear that they hadn't found the sniper yet, but she shouldn't have expected it. With her in the hospital, they were one member short and as much as Castle was trying, he wasn't a real police officer. Castle. She had yet to hear from him. Josh told her that he couldn't reach him. However she wasn't sure if he spoke the truth or simply ignored her request. But he should've found out from the boys that she had woken up, so why hadn't he come and visited her? It had been a day and she would've thought that he'd come see her as soon as he heard the news.

"What about Castle? Has he been at the precinct lately?" Kate asked quietly, almost as if she didn't want anyone to hear her and give her an actual answer. An answer she might not want to hear. His absence irritated her. The man she knew wouldn't have stayed away that long, and furthermore, she hadn't the slightest idea where they stood now. Before the funeral she had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't welcome anymore, but then there were her blurred memories of his declaration of love. And she really thought that their relationship, their _partnership_ couldn't become more complicated.

Both Esposito and Ryan looked uncertainly at each other. As if they had no real information for her, and she could already guess what their answer would be. "No. He hasn't been to the precinct once," Ryan answered. "And he told us he won't come anymore."

Kate looked up at them with wide eyes, shocked from the news she had just received. But should she really be? After all, she had told him to leave. But, after what had happened at the funeral, she'd have been sure he'd stop by. Maybe even try to reason with her and talk her into letting him come back. Besides, he had proven his incompetence again and again at following her orders in the past. So why would he suddenly start listening to them now?

"He said that he finished his research. That he has enough material for the remaining books of the Heat series. Castle also said that it's time to start something new." Javi added.

"Does that mean he'll end the series?" A light tremble could be heard in her voice, but Kate hoped that the boys hadn't noticed it. She couldn't meet their eyes while she waited for the answer, dread piling up in to pit of her belly.

"He didn't exactly tell us his plans, just that he's taking a creative break," Ryan looked almost apologetic as he fished something out of his pocket. "And, he asked us to give you this."

Ryan handed Beckett an envelope, folded in the middle to fit in his coat pocket, "We haven't sneaked a glance." he promised.

A letter? After all this time, he couldn't even tell her his decisions personally? Maybe Kate should have known better, but she had really thought that Castle had changed. That he wasn't so selfish or arrogant anymore; obviously she had been wrong. He was still incapable of treating people with the same respect as they gave him. He was still just a big kid.

When she held the eulogy, Kate had thought about their partnership. Thought about all those moments in which they were there for each other, as well as all those moments in which they had laughed, cried, struggled, fought, and survived together. At that moment she had suddenly realized that she didn't _want_ him to leave, that she liked him at her side, and she planned to tell him after the burial that he should forget her angry words. That she hadn't meant them. To be honest, she would have thought that Castle would not leave the hospital until she woke up. His loyalty and his care for her had seemed indisputable.

Kate put the letter between two vases on the table next to her, not eager to read what Castle had put on that sheet of paper. Right now, she had to work through the shocking news of his leaving first. Besides, she'd like to read the letter without an audience, because who knew what Castle had written to her. But really, who confesses his love to someone and then simply disappears out of her life?

"And how will things continue with you for now?" Espo's question broke Kate out of her thoughts.

"My doctor told me that I should be able to leave at the end of next week, but of course I'll have to complete rehab before I can even think about coming back to work."

"Well, we hope that you'll recover quickly so that you can come back. Everyone misses you terribly." Ryan said.

"Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it." she smiled. Hopefully rehab wouldn't last _too_ long.

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Castle grabbed his bag, and closed the door to his bedroom. In two hours he'd be sitting on a flight to Paris. He hoped that he packed everything he needed. His mother sat at the kitchen island, observing him closely as she sipped her drink.

"Please, try not to transform the loft in a complete battlefield while Alexis and I are gone," Castle pleaded to his mother, a teasing twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm sure I can control myself," she answered dryly, looking at him with an intense expression. "Are you _really_ sure that you want to do this?"

"What? Go to Paris?" Castle asked, already knowing what exactly she meant.

"Not _that; _the other thing. You walking the Way of St. James."

"I've already told you that you can't persuade me out of this. I planned it and will seeing it through."

"Richard, is this because of what happened to Beckett?"

"This has nothing to do with Beckett. Honestly? I've always asked myself just what it would be like," Castle cut her off.

"Oh really? Until a few days ago, I'd never heard you breathe a word of this insane idea." Martha looked at him knowingly, "You couldn't have changed anything, what happened was _not_ your fault, and if you'd bother to talk to Beckett, she'd be the first to tell you that too."

"I'm not a good influence," he insisted stubbornly, "I don't follow rules, and my behavior has endangered people before. Kate survived, thank god, but there could come a time where we won't be that lucky."

"That's her job! She knew what she'd signed up for. Besides she wouldn't have let you stay that long if she thought you just endangered others. Not to mention that you've grown a lot since you started working with Beckett. You're not the Richard Castle I knew before your time at the Twelfth."

"Really? Because I don't see any changes in myself. I still get others into trouble. Serious trouble."

"Talk to her, Richard. She deserves more than just a letter from you."

Castle simply shook his head. "You're completely right, mother. She deserves more. More than I could ever give her."

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**Please leave a review and tell me how you liked this chapter.**

**Wish you all a great start into a new week.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone,**

**finally finished the next chapter. Castle's adventure is beginning now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

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**Chapter 4**

Kate tiredly opened the door to her apartment, knowing that it had been a long time since she had stepped foot into her home. The last two and a half months were spent at her family's cabin to recover, but she had a doctor's appointment tomorrow and she hoped to return to work soon. That was, if her psychologist approved of her return. Until then she had no real plans.

It was strange to be home again. In contrast to the family cabin, New York was loud and hectic. Her apartment looked as if she had just left this morning, and her eyes immediately darted to the left. There it was: Castle's letter, leaning on a vase, still sealed. She wasn't sure whether or not she had wished for it to disappear in her absence. Until now, she hadn't been able to talk herself into opening it and read the last words he wrote for her. Because that would make his exit final; that he had really left for good after all this time. But it wasn't just that, Kate was still angry with him for leaving without a word. Castle hadn't come to _her _to tell her the news personally, but instead just walked away as if they hadn't been working together for three years. Her friends hadn't told her anything further than his plans to accompany Alexis to Paris and that was her own fault. The news about Paris had come from Lanie, but before she could tell Kate about anything else, the detective had shot a dark glance at her best friend, telling her to stop right there. At that time she didn't want to know anything about him. He seemed to not care about her, so why should she care about him?

But something had stopped her from getting rid of his letter. Josh told her more than once to just throw it away, especially after he noticed that she wouldn't open it. Once, Kate actually had managed to throw it away, but then she spent the whole evening sitting on her couch, staring conflictingly at her trash bin. Until, after what seemed like an eternity, she finally pulled the letter out and replaced it on her dresser. Kate just felt incapable of destroying this piece of paper; this letter that held Castle's thoughts, carefully written down for her.

Josh. They broke up just before she drove to the cabin. Though Josh said he understood, she could see the hurt in his eyes and felt bad for putting it there. But as much as she tried, she couldn't imagine a future with him. Since then, Kate had hardly thought about him, but hoped that he'd find someone who could offer him so much more than she could. A woman that could love him with her whole heart; not someone that had already given her heart away a long time ago.

Kate carried her bag further into her apartment, resolutely ignoring the letter that seemed to burn a hole into her dresser. She'd meet Lanie for coffee tomorrow, because she desperately wanted to get up to speed on all of the things she had missed during her absence.

The pain she had felt every time she moved had slowly died down over the time. Now it hurt just a few times a week. The beginning of her recovery had been the worst. Kate had completely been useless, unable to even lift her arm without crying out in agony. She had been forced to depend on others and that was something she never liked. Kate loved her independence and to lose it, even if it was just temporarily, was something she'd never accept. It made her feel vulnerable and she worked hard to get this part of her back. The moment she had been able to manage on her own, her dad left her alone, letting her lick her wounds in peace. After all, he knew his daughter well enough to know what she needed. But that didn't stop him from calling once a day though.

She could hardly wait to get back to normal.

* * *

Castle sat on the little terrace of a hotel in the French town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Two days ago, he had bid his farewells to his daughter, smiling as he thought back on how she had once again tried to change his mind. But he stayed adamant. He had made good use of his time in Paris and prepared himself for his new adventure. Though he promised to call as often as he could, and besides those calls to his family, Castle planned to do short videos, telling people of his experiences and posting it on his homepage. Even then she wasn't happy to have to visit his website, but he had told her that she could see him any time she'd want through those videos. It may be not live, but it was as close as he could get.

As Alexis had hugged him at the airport, Castle had felt like she was squeezing all oxygen out of his body, but the tight embrace was exactly what he needed before he left for his tour. Six weeks without seeing his daughter was the only disadvantage of his plan.

After they finally let go of each other, Alexis headed towards her flight to New York and he went to his plane, which had taken him to Bordeaux, France. Once there Castle had checked into a hotel, put his bag in his room and made his way to the railway station to book a ticket to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port for the next day.

What he didn't know was that this simple task would be the first, albeit little, challenge of his tour. The man who was selling the tickets for the railway was set on believing that Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port didn't exist in France. So there the writer had been, in front of a ticket counter with a man who couldn't speak English while he in turn couldn't speak French. Though Castle learnt a few phrases while he was in Paris, it was nowhere enough to get through that thick skull of this very stubborn man. After some time he got help from a man who had been patiently waiting for his turn, so at least they could communicate properly now. It all ended with him grabbing a map and showing the man that the place really existed _and_ that it was in France, right at the border to Spain. It had never before taken him so long to get a train ticket.

The night at the hotel in Bordeaux had been restless. Castle just couldn't fall asleep, turning constantly from one side to the other. Maybe the excitement for his adventure had finally caught up to him. He napped a little on his way to Saint-Pied-de-Port, but he had been afraid to fall asleep, since he had to switch trains once. It'd have been just his luck to miss his switch by oversleeping.

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port was a small place at the foot of the French Pyrenees. To be honest, Castle had never heard of this place before he began to plan his tour. He imagined this place as a little sleepy village with not very many things to do, but man, had he been wrong. In reality, this place was a small town, but it seemed to be filled with lots of other pilgrims who wanted to walk the Way of St. James. As he sat in a café this afternoon, he was surprised how many cars drove through the town. The temperature though was quite cold, so that he wore his warmer clothes.

Castle did a little sightseeing throughout the day. There was a market place where one could buy all kinds of junk. Apparently things a pilgrim needed for his trip to Santiago de Compostela, but even he, who was always happy to try something out, doubted he needed even half of those things. The only thing he bought was a big, heavy, wooden travelling stick. It had been a good idea at first, however as he walked through the streets he wasn't so sure anymore.

Before he had gone back to his hotel, he took a look at the beginning of the Camino Frances. The route began the moment one would walk through something like a town gate and ended after five hundred miles in the Spanish city Santiago de Compostela. In fact, it ended directly in front of the cathedral there. He'd had a look at the beginning of the way, the beginning of the Camino Frances. Castle's plan aimed for approximated thirty-five days, but he wasn't worried if it would take longer. He was a writer after all. Gina was angry either way, and a few more days wouldn't change this.

Before his departure, he got himself a pilgrim's passport. All stations of the Way of St. James had their own stamps. Those stamps would be marked on the passport. If one had the needed stamps, he or she would be rewarded with a gold-framed certificate. Furthermore, rumor had it that all of the person's sins would be forgiven. Castle wasn't a religious man by any means, but if there _was_ some truth about this fact, then he really hoped that his sins would be forgiven. And, maybe, somewhere along the way, he'd even manage to forgive _himself_ for what happened to Beckett.

Those stamps couldn't be cheated though. It wasn't possible to travel by car or train to all the needed stations. Some stations were only reachable by bike or foot. But one didn't need to walk the _whole_ way for this certificate. To get this nice piece of paper one had to at least walk the last 62 miles of the path or the last 124 miles if travelling by bike. These stations consisted of pilgrim's hostels, churches or cloisters. But most of the pilgrims travelled the whole way, and they didn't do this because of the certificate, but instead for the experience they would collect on the way to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Other than him, a lot of people walked the way to think about god and do soul-searching. Castle was just looking for a new challenge. While this was his choice of words, his family took this trip rather as a distraction. A distraction from Katherine Beckett. Maybe they were right, but if Castle planned to do something to distract himself from the Detective, this certainly would be the wrong way. He'd travel alone. That meant thirty-five days with only his thoughts and he was pretty sure that Kate Beckett would be in them every single day of his tour through Spain. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

Today he had gotten his first stamp; the stamp that marked the point where his journey had begun. After he had gotten that stamp, he was assigned to a pilgrim's bed and when he entered the room, he was surprised at how many people were there. It seemed that Castle's last night before his adventure wouldn't be restful at all, seeing that around twenty pilgrims shared the room and everyone looked quite sociable.

He walked over to his bed for the night and put down his weighed in at around twenty-four pounds and, as much as he had hoped to take a little bit more with him, Castle knew had to limit the load. After all, he'd have to carry it all the way to Santiago de Compostela. Only the most necessary things had made it in his bag. A guide, a sleeping-bag as well as a sleeping pad, the passport, clothes for hot days (he already wore the clothes for colder days), a change of clothes, a coat, blistering plaster,sun cream, burn spray, a water bottle, a towel, his camera as well as his cell phone, and some money.

Before he went to bed, he switched on his camera. It was time for the first report of his trip. Castle held up the camera and grinned into the lens. "Hey, guys."

* * *

**I hope you liked it. Thanks for the response so far. I'm loving all of them. Haven't thought at the beginning, that this story would be so much liked by you guys!**

**You're awesome!**


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